Combating Financial Crime Through Data Analysis in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
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A groundbreaking data portal has been launched, integrating NERC-funded data with other available information to support marine protection and conservation efforts in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area.
Introduction
The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) are home to some of the world’s most biologically rich waters, featuring abundant marine mammals and seabirds, diverse benthic habitats and species, as well as important commercial fisheries. The SGSSI Marine Protected Area was established in 2012 to ensure the protection and conservation of the region’s rich and diverse marine life while allowing for sustainable fishing practices.
Data Portal
To support ongoing management of the MPA, NERC-funded data managed by the Environmental Data Service have been integrated with other available data to provide stakeholders with easy access to long-term monitoring data. The UK Polar Data Centre, in partnership with the BAS Mapping and Geographic Information Centre, developed the South Georgia Marine Protected Area Data Portal using funding from a Darwin Plus grant.
Features
The portal brings together research, monitoring, and human activity data, providing extensive background information, links to relevant literature, and interactive reports, charts, and maps. The integration of biological data with spatial information has significant benefits in improving our understanding of the marine ecosystem in this region, critical for MPA management as well as informing species distribution and abundance.
Data Included
The data portal includes comprehensive information on:
- Marine Protected Area management zones
- Ecology of higher predators
- Physical environment
- Human activities (fisheries, tourism, debris, interactions with birds and mammals)
- Research and monitoring activities
Integration
It integrates data from various sources, including the Government of SGSSI, published datasets, and NERC-funded data held within the EDS. The portal also allows users to upload new information directly through the PDC website.
Benefits
This data portal generates crucial knowledge and insight that underpins policy and management decisions in and around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It continues to enhance our understanding of biodiversity and habitats in the region, enabling evidence-based monitoring and assessment of the MPA.
Project Support
The project was supported by the UK Darwin Initiative, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, UK Research and Innovation, The Natural Environment Research Council, and the British Antarctic Survey. The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands MPA Data Portal is available online, with most content open-access but some restricted information on fisheries and unpublished data time series requiring login credentials for authorized users.
Discovery Metadata System
The PDC’s Discovery Metadata System is a web-based platform to discover polar datasets collected by UK-funded scientists.